Addressing-machine.



R. N. ROGERS.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.

nruonxon Hmm :um: 4, 1901.

Patented Nov.4, 1913.

4 BHBETB-SHEET 1.

Inventar.' jwselllyefs.

R. N. RoGBBs. ADDRESSING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JUBBJ, 1907.

Patented Nov..g1913.

4 BHEET'BHBET 2.

R. N. ROGERS.

ADDBBSSING MACHINE.

APrLxoA'rIox Hmm mum. 1907.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

ffmessaf: fwm

R. N. RUGERS.

ADDRESSING MACHINE.'

APPLIUATIGN funn JUNE 1907.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RUSSELL N. ROGERS, OE CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS,T0 JOHN B. HALL AND JOSEPH S. DUNCAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AnDnEssiNe-Mncnmn Specification of Letters' Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Rrssnu. N. Roenes, a citizen of the United Stat-es,and a resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented certainnew and useful Improve ments in Addressing-Machines, of which thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact descripn tion, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use thesame.

My invention relates to improvements in addressing machines and hasspecial reference t0 machines of that class in which address carriers ortype plates are employed, the same being used repeatedly withdill'erentlots of envelops, bill-heads, cards' or sheets.

The objects of my inverni-.m are to provide au improved addres'ing`machine ot simple crmstruction. of lon; cost, and which even anunskilled person may successfully operate.

Further and particular objects of the invent-ion are t0 provide amachine of the class mentioned which shall be of small size, which shallbe durable, which shall require very little power for its operation,which shall be rapid in action, and which shall perform its work neatlyand accurately.

Further specific objects of the invention are to provide av machinewhich shall be adapted to hold a stack of type-plates in readiness l'oruse, which shall remove the plates from the stack one at a time, whichshall ink the plates, which shall automatically feed an envelop or thelike upon each type-plate at the proper time, which shall discharge andseparate the plates and the cnvelops autolizfti 'allyY which shallarrest and invert each envelop to expose the print or address thereontov view` which shall be" provided with u plate drawer, or receptacle,into which the used plates shall be: discharged, which shall he providedwith means for closely and regularly packing the plates in said draweror receptacle, and the drawer aud the plateholder of which shall beconstructed to work together in such manner as to facilitate theemptying of the plates from the drawer into the holder or magazine.

Still another and general objet-t. of the invention to improve theconstruction and elementary mechanisms composing the operation of theaddressin machine described and claimed in etters Patent #876,913,granted to me Jan. 14, 1908.

My invention consists, generally, in an addressing machine of theconstruction, arrangement aad combina-tion of parts hereinafterdescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

An addressing macl 'ne embodying my invention, and wherein the foregoingobjects are attained, will be more readily understood by reference tothe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification and inwhich;

Figure l is a plan view of my addressing machine, Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the machine with a portieri of its upper part or bed brokenaway to snow the manner in which the type-plates leat e the stack-holder0r magazine. and approach the .inking device; Fig. 3 is a verticalsection of the mechanism at the front end of the machine; Figs. 4 and 5are like sections showing the positions of the parts at other instantsand Fig. 6 is a front end sectional View on the irregular section tine,X-X of Fig. 2.

My invention is capable of embodiment in many different forms and itsessential elementary mechanisms and` parts, while distinctly'co-dependent in the machine herein illustrated, are capable ofemployment alone or in conjunction with less than the whole number ofelements; and, as will be understood from the following, my invention isnot confine-d to the certain or speeiic constructions illustrated in thedrawings, as both the construction and arrangement of the elements andparts of my machine may be readilv modified by one skilled in the artwithout. departing from the spirit of the invent1on.

I have here illustrated, and shall describe my invention comprised orpresented in the form of a` small, compact machine, adapted to be placedupon a table or desk ,and operated by a person standing or sittingbeside it. i j* A thorough understanding of the invention will befacilitated by brief mention and description of the principal elementsand machine herein shown.

An endless conveyer, B, preferably occuplates, P.

pying a horizontal plane, is arranged in a light frame, A, and means(preferably a crank) are employed for rotating the conveyor, Above therear end of the conveyer is a helder, C, to receive a stack of type Infront of the holder is an inking device, D. The conveyer, B, is providedwith lugs cr pins which engage the bottom plate, P, in the holder.yThereby the plates are successively extracted from the holder, C, thetype being inked as the plates pass beneathV the inking device, D.Associated with the upper part of the conveyor is a i' ht bed or plate,F, having flanges which ett and guide the ends or edges of the l Lr-plates, l), during their forward moveniea The printing mechanism whichcooperates with successive type-plates, to impress the addresses uponenvelops, E, which are suitably fed thereto, is arranged at the forwardend of the conveyor and preferably comprises two simple rolls, G and H,between which the plates, P, and envelope, E, pass. The larger (G) ofthe printing or pressure rolls is preferably mounted on the shaft at theforward end of the conveyer, B, andthe other roller, H., is held aboveit to afford the necessary pressure upon the type. An envelop receptacleor feeder, I, is arranged above the conveyer, B, near the upper printingroller, H, and by means of a simple mechanism operating automatically,the envelops, E, are taken between` the rolls, G and H, one by one, intime to meet the type plates. An envelop inverting device, K, is soarranged in front of the printing rolls, that each envelop droppingthereon will be Vdischarged and inverted by the envelop which follows.The type-plate recovering or re-stacking device has for its chiefelement a drawer or slide, L, placed in the lower part of the frame, A,beneath the conveyer, B, in position to receive the type. plates as theyfall away from the forward end of the conveyer. A packer mechanism, M,actuated from the conveyer shaft and operating in or above the forwardend of the drawer, L, engages each plate as it drops into the drawer andmoves it back to make room for the next plate. The equipment of mymachine includes a number of these drawers filled with type-plates, andin operating the machine a stack of plates is first emptied from adrawer, L, Into the holder, C, at the rear end of the machine.

'lhe empty drawer is then placed in the lower part of the machine inreadiness to receive the same plates as fast as they are used. Thus themachine is completed and made ready for use. A number of envelops, E,are placed in the feeder, l, at the iorward endl of the machine. lVhenthe conveyer, B, is operated (by the crank shown) the type plates .indthe cnvelops are automatically fcd between the printing rolls, G and H,the

'tively deep ribsx'p?. the plates, when stacked, present their ribsdrawer support or shelf, a2, and at thetop are joined by the bed plate,F. The slideway or shelf a2 is preferably a metal casting and isprovided with cheek pieces or side plates, a3, which rise nearly to thetop of the frame at its forward vend. The member c is of less width thanthe frame andthe cheek pieces stand relatively 'between the sides of theframe' at the front end, they serving as guide parts for the type platesas hereinafter explained. The bed plate F contains grooves, f1, in itsedges, for the sprocket belts composing the conveyer, B,

and parts or strips, f2, on the top of F form,

overhanging flanges designed to avert vertical displacement of theplates onthe conveyer. The middle portion of the plate F, see Figs. land 2, is occupied by or enlarged vto form the two raised portions, f3and f4'.

The edges, f5, of the former, serve as guides for the type-plates, P.The raised surface f* serves to slightly elevate and holdy thetype-plates against the inking roll D while being carried past the sameby the conveyer` as again referred to hereinafter. The side frames, al,contain the adjustable bearings,

at, and at the opposite end are provided with bearings,val and a for theshafts of the hereinafter described printing or pressure rolls,

G and H. I j

The conveyer B co-mprises two endless chains or belts b1, b1, togetherwith sprocket'A` wheels on the shafts', b2, b3, in bearings a and a5,respectively. The upper parts or legs of the belts pass over the bedplate, F,

the belts are equipped with lugs, b", for extracting type-plates, P,from the plate holder or magazine, C. AA crank, b, is arranged on theshaft, b3', when the machine is to be operated by hand,'and when poweris available the crank is replaced by/a belt wheel or the like.

The type plates, P, which I prefer to use with my machine are of ecliardesign and construction. As well sown in Figs. 1', 2, and 6, each typeplate comprises a thiii'sheetv metal plate, p1, having on its back tworela- As shown in.Fig. l,

downwardly, one resting on the other, and the ribs of one holding it offthe type, 775, of the other. The rear, or upper edge, p2,

,beneath the flanges, f2, thereof. At-intervals of the plate is longerthan the lower edge, pg, and arms, or ears, p4, are formed on the endsof the plate. P is a card attached to the plate and bearing the addresswhich is reversely set in the type, p5. The lines of type extendtransversely on the plate in order that they may occupy 'a longitudinalposition in the machine. The. bottom plate in the holder, C, rests uponthe supporting surface, f3, of plate F. 1When the rear edge of the plateis engaged by two of the conveyer pins, b4, the plate is pushed forwardfrom beneath the other plates, and passing under the inking device, D,is presented be l tween the rolls G and H, from which it is finallydischarged into the drawer, L. The latter is of the width of the lowerv)art of the plate, and hence, the ears of the plat/e hook over thelongitudinal edges of the drawer, and support the plate in slight-ly inyclined position therein as shown.

The plate holder or magazine C comprises a block c1, and standard, c2,c2, which 'rise therefrom and are connected from the top by a crossbrace, c3. The block, c1, rests on the top of the frame and isdetaehably secured thereto by hooks, c4, joined by a. rod, o5, to worktogether. Dowel pins, (not shown) prevent the shiftingr of the block onthe frame. On each standard I hinge the supplementary sections, c,having-inwardlyv turned flanges, c7, to engage the oi" thefears, p, onthe plates, l as best shown in Fig. l. The hinged parts, o, are held inposition by spring interposed between them in the barrel, c, and may besimultaneously opened by grasping the knobs, C9, which extend throughslots in the barrel, c". When opened they permit the plates to be placedin the. holder from the front side thereof. The lower ends of theflanges. c7, on hinged sections, c, are cut away to allow the bottomplate to leave the holder, (see Fig. 2), that is, they stand above thelevel of the surface, f3. In leaving the holder the plates are guided bythe engagement ot' their ribs, p7, with the edges, f5, of tln` portion,f3.

The printing mechanism proper, wherein the type are pressed against theenvelops. sheets, or cards, comprises the two rolls (i and H. and it.will be noted that the roll G is on the same shaft as the sprocketwheels of the coni-'oyen The shaft h1 is bold by its bearings, a, infixed position with relation to the roll, G. The roll G preferably madeof incompressible material while the roll ll is made of .softcomposition, like a printers roll. The narrow roll parts., on the shaftz are of less pliable rubber and coact with the roll H in the envelopfeeding operation; The shafts f1.1 and o are connected b v gears, ha andit* and the. peripheral speeds of the rolls G and H are the same. Theroll G also provided with.

parts which assist in feeding the envelops, to-wit, the cam surface g1and grooves g2 and the rib or draft piece g3.

The envelop-feeding mechanism comprises the parts above mentionedtogether with .an envelop holder or tray, so-called restralningr devicesand stop-fingers, 1, which latter are operated by the cams on the rollG. The fingers, 1, are provided with upwardly turned or hooked ends, 2,and are fastened upon the forward end of the bed plate F. The spacebetween the rolls G and H is sufticient to permit the finger ends, i2,to rise upon the cam surfaces, g1, without interferingir with therotation of the roll, H. When in the grooves, g2, the finger ends arebelow the surface of the roll G, and permit the type-plates to passyfreely. The plat-1, 3, rest-s upon the frames a1 and extends across theconveyor, above the path of the plates. This plate is adjustable bymeans of the screws, 4, and is fastened by other screws, Obviously, theforward edge of the plate, '113, presented to the intake side of theroll, H, and may be adjusted back and forth with relation thereto.Slots, i are provided in the plate, 3, and before the other parts areplaced thereon two wide rubber bands, i7, are slipped on the plate.These bands turn about the forward edge of the plate` i3, andprojecting),` slightly therefrom constitute the restraining devicesbefore referred to. The rubber ends or restraining); devices areindicated as, da. They operate to hold back. the second or Anext to thefront envelop in the holder. Two plates, is, are laterally adjustableupon the plate, z'i", and on these l provide the sides, i, of the. tray,and the inclined bottom strips, il". The envelops are placed on edge onthe inclined strips 1" and of their own weight sink to the lower endsthereof. thereby pressin;r the first envelop against the intake side ofroll ll'. The sides, 9, being adi'ustable, are adapted to receivecnvelops 0f different widths. A rod. 2"". extending through the sides.and adjustalle in different holes, im thereof. .serves to hold the loosepack of envelop-s. li. at the proper inclination. The operation of theenvclopfeeding mechanism is as follows. The roll, H, being r0- rateddraws down the first envelop, and tl'irougrh thc medium thereof pressesthe second envelop tirmlv upon the restraining devices. i". It isassisted in this bv the fact that the parts, i, are opposite the softportion of the roll which yields to the envelop` vwhile the less pliableends, k2. tend to hold bach the cruisers of the envelop and thus fr themb ward npon the inclined s or ways, lWhen the first envelop @xn down, itis caught bv the fingers,

n 1 V.tion of the roll G finally carries the piece into engagement withthe end h are then elevated as shown in Fig.

of the envelop, and at the same instant drops the lingers into thegrooves g2 (as shown in Fig. 3), thereby releasing the envelop slightlyin advance of the arrival of the type-plate. From that time on, theenvelop and the plate pass between the rolls roll G is fastened to theshaft b3 by a separate set screw g* (see dotted lines, Fig. 4), and byadiusting the roll the time of the arrival of the draft piece g3 atdrawing position may be fixed with relation to the conveyer belt pinsZi* as required to adjust the machinelto envelops of different lengths.'

The inking devicelD comprises an inked roller d1 arranged above the partft. The

roll rl1 is carried by a light yoke l pivotcd.

ou the rear end of the plate A :crew d3 serves as a lilit stop for theroll and its pressure upon the type-plates may `be adjusted by thisscrew. It will be understood that the screw d is fastened in the plate 3and that the yoke is pressed against the same bv a spring. Small springsd* serve to hold the shaft d of the roll in its bearings in the yoke.The roll rotates freely when engaged by a plate on the conveyer and inksthe type uniformly.

The envelop receiving and'inverting device K comprises a plate k1 havinga ledge .f2 at its lower end, and arranged for vertical movement infront of the print-ing mechanism. The plate, 7:1, is verticallyadjustable upon a carrying plate, las, which latter has side pieces, k,slidable upon the cheek pieces, a3, the connection being made by theslot, fc5, and the pins in the cheek pieces, as'.

shown in Fig. 2. Between the plates, k1 and k I arrange an intermediateplate, k, having a. rubber strip, c'f, at the top. The same' screws,les, fasten the plates, k1 and la, and when loosened permit theindependent adjustment thereof, to fit di'flcrsent sized envelops. Therubber piece k7, acts as a retard i ing device at the upper end of thereceiver,

and each envelop which is projected from the printing rolls, movesacross the strip, k7, and when freed from the rolls is stopped by saidstrip, whereupon the envelop tilts over upon the plate, 7:1, and dropsupon its ledge 1.12. The next envelop strikes the one on the receiverafter the manner shown in Fig.4, and tips it ofil of the same therebyinverting it. The receiver, K, is dropped at the instant that an envelopbegins to pass the printing rolls and is raised into contact with theunder Side of the envelop just in time to catch it and prevent its beingthrown to a distance by the projecting force of the rolls. The meansemployed for reciprocating the inclined envelop receiver compriselevers, 7cm, connected to the side plates, k, and pivot-ed to the frameby short links as shown in Fig. 2. These levers in turn are operated byeccentric rods is, the straps of which encircle eccentrics, km, on theshaft b3, and the parts being related in a manner to secure the sequenceof operations neat above described. If found desirable the part lc mayberigidly attached to the arms or levers 1cm, in which Case said leverswill be dir .tly pivoted on the frame and the slides or pieces, la* willbe dispensed with.

V-hen the type-plates are discharged from between the printing rollsthey drop into a guide or chute in which their fall is checkedmomentarily before they drop into the plate drawer or receptacle, L. Thecheek pieces, a3, are parts of the chute-referred to which is completedby inclined anges, J, and the fins J on the platee/c3. As shown in Figs.1 and (i the lower ends of J, J, are bifurcated to receive the fins .1.A plate on being freed from the rolls drops face upward upon the fiangesor slides, J, and at this moment the part K is raised; hence, at suchmoment, the fins, J', intercept the flanges, J, and the plat-e is caughtand stopped thereon, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. Fig. 5 shows the part Kduring -its downward movement and the plate l) is about to be releasedfrom the "chute` At the time that the fins reach their lowest .positionthe h ute is, lso to speak, open at the bottom, and (lli'e plate dropsin to the front end of the drawerat, passing forward of the packer barM. y;

The packer proper comprises the bar, M, which extends through the cheekpieces a3 above the drawer, L- It is operated by means of the levers7cm, the bar being U-shaped in form'and having its ends, m1, ivotedtothe parts, c. Definite movemen is given the bar by cam slots m2, inthecheek.V pieces, a5. On the upward movemeni'l of the bar, it is raisedabove the plates'in the drawer and downward movement thrusts the barback against the plates to force them rearwardly in the drawer. The bardescends at the moment that a plate is dropping in over or in front ofit, and thus the plates already in the drawer are pushed back to makeroom for the falling one. On the upstroke of the bar M and theV envelopreceiver K, the bar is raised from behind the front plate in the drawerand allows it to drop b'ack against 'the next plate. It should beobserved that one plate drops into the drawer while the bar is pushingback the other. A slight bend provided in the bar M prevents mutilationof the type on the plate. Very little force is required to repack theplates inv the drawer in the foregoing manner as the plates practicallyhang from the edges of the drawer and, therefore, move very freely.

rThe drawer L may be taken out from either end of the shelf a2. Thedrawer L here shown is presumed to be one of many which, when not 4inuse, are held in a cabinet. provided therefor. lVhen a drawer is takenfrom the cabinet, it is first stood on end to settle the platestogether', whereupon it is an 'easy matter to place the upright drawerin front of the holder C and, upon opening the hinged sections thereof,to place the stack of plates in the holder. The ears or hooks on theplate project beyond the sides of the drawer and, therefore, the hingedsections c6 may be released and permitted to firmly engage the platesbefore the drawer is removed. After placing the plates in the holder,the empty drawer is put on the shelf a2 to receive the same plates asthey fall from the printing rolls.

Then stowing or packing the machine it is usual to remove the magazineor holder C, which may be done by simply disengaging the hooks c,

As a general statement of the operation of my machine precedes theforegoing detailed description and as the operations of the severalparts and component mechanisms have been described in connection withthe explanations of their form and arrange-- nient, it is deemedunnecessary to further summarize or define the use and operation of themachine.

As numerous modifications of the inven tion herein specificallydisclosed will readily suggest themselves to one skilled in the art, Ido not confine the invention to the specific structure herein shown anddescribed.

Haring thus described my invention, l claim as new and desire to Secureby Letters` Patent,

l. An addressing machine having a bed plate, F, provided with raisedsurfaces,

and f4, and having conveyor and type-plate guides, in combination with.a plate-holder above the surface, f3, and an inking device above thesurface, f4, in position to ink a type-plate resting thereon'substantially described.

An addressing machine comprising a frame, in combination with atype-plate con 'vevcr therein, a printing mechanism and a plato magazineto supply plates to con veyer, and comprising a rigidly upright portionand vertically hinged sections at either side thereof, adapted to heopened to receive type-plates substantially as described.

3. A magazine for addressing machines comprising a base, in combinationwith standards thereon, and sections vertically hinged upon saidstandards, ,and having inturned flanges at their 'forward edgessubstantially as described.

.4. A magazine or plate-holder for addressing machines comprising a backand partial sides,Y in combination with sections having inturned flangesand vertically hinged on said sides, and means for operattheirWithdrawal therefrom together, singly,

or in stacked forni, substantially as described. f

6. An addressing machine bed plate, in combination with a conveyor, aplate bridging said bed plate and conveyor, a yoke pivoted thereon,means limiting the movement of said yoke, an inling roll and an inkingroll shaft detachably held in said yoke substantially as described.

7. In an addressing machine, a type plate feeder in combination with aframe therefor, printing rolls to which said feeder delivers plates, asheet holder at the intake side of the upper roll, to deliver sheetsthereto, hooked fingers projecting between said rolls, the lower rollbeing provided with a cam groove, g2, and surface, g1, and said lowerroll being rotatively adjustable with respect to said feeder to vary thetime of action of said fingers substantially as described.

8. A sheet holder for addressing machines, comprising a bottom plate,upright, narrow inclined Ways thereon, adjustable side plates, and meansbetween the plates and supported thei'ehy for adjusting the inclinationof the ",v as described.

addressing iiiachines t.. Y'. and inciined ways ion with elastic lia-ndsa id Wa vs. constii .tizio side comprising a lo. thereon, in on 'said hotnting re plates siioetaii l0. In an addi .ting ma( ine, a, sheet holderhaving an inclined bottom t0 support upstanding sheets, incombinationwith second shoot training devices at; the forward erige ./.iraid bottom, a shaft parallel to said edge and adjacent thereto, a rollof soft composition on said shaft, and other short. rolls on said shaft,and composed of iess pliable material, as and for the purpose specified.

11. In an addressing machine, a printing mechanism adapted to eject theprinted article, in combination with an upright receiver, having aretarding piece at its upper edge, and a ledge at its lower end, and

means for moving said receiver vertically, as and for the purposespecified.

1Q. In an addressing machine, a printing mechanism adapted to eject theprinted articles. an upright envelop receiver having a ledge or ingeratits lower end,`a vertically movable member whereon the receiver isadjustab'ly mounted, and an adjustable retarding piece at the upper endof said recciver.

13. In an addressing machine a type plate feeder, in combination with aprinting mechanism, a plate chute to receive plates from said mechanism,a plate drawer, and a packer vertically and backWardly mdvable abovesaid drawer substantially as described.

14. In an addressing machine a type-plate feeder, in combination with aprinting mechanism, a plate chute to receive plates from said mechanism,a plate drawer, a packer, vertically and backwardly movable above saiddrawer, and back of said chute, as and A for the purpose specified.

15. In an addressing machine a type-plate feeder in combination with aprinting mechanism, an inclined chute to receive plates from saidmechanism, an arrest-ing device operable in said chute, a plate 'drawerbe-l neath the chute, a packer vertically and backwardly movable abovesaid drawer, and beneath said chute, and means common to said arrestingmeans and packer for operating them, substantially as described.

1G. An addressing machine frame, in combination with a plate magazinerising perpendicularly therefrom and adapted to contain a plurality ofplates each provided lwith depending ribs near its ends, a guide memberprovided on said frame to support the lowermost plate between the ribsthereon and adapted to coact with the inner sides of said ribs` and auni-directional convcyer operable adjacent to said guide member andadapted to expel successive lovvermostl plates from said magazine,:along said guide member, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, this 25th day of May,1907, in therpresence of tivo subscribing witnesses.

RUSSELL Il ROGERS.

Witnesses:

M. SIMON, A, W. NELSON.

